This year one of its members, Ian Mayne, was crowned as the national Champion of Champions.

Ian, along with four of his club mates, was also part of the Lancashire squad which defied the odds to win The Middleton Cup, flat green bowling's equivalent of the FA Cup.

Alan Mayne, a founder member of the Acton Bridge club and Ian's father, was also part of the successful Middleton Cup squad.

He said: "For Lancashire to win the Middleton Cup was the stuff of dreams. It would be like Northwich Vics winning the FA Cup.

"We have only five clubs affiliated to Lancashire, Kent have over 100."

Acton Bridge defeated two of the biggest flat green playing counties in the closing stages of the competition to lift the trophy.

In the semi-finals they knocked out Norfolk before beating Warwickshire in the final of the Worthing based event.

But in a region dominated by crown green bowling their achievements have gone largely unnoticed.

As the only flat green in Cheshire, Acton Bridge had no choice but to affiliate to the Lancashire Bowling Association.

Indeed, many of its members left Lancashire based clubs to join Acton Bridge.

Alan, from Hartford, explained: "Cheshire is one of only two counties in the country without a flat green association. It is real crown green bowling territory."

He added: "Since our club was founded three years ago we have attracted over 50 members. But there are no converts from crown green bowling, only experienced flat green bowlers who had been playing in Lancashire or people who had never played the sport before."

The bowlers have been making the switch because of the superior quality of Acton Bridge's artificial green.

Alan, although always having lived in Northwich, was a member of a club in Bolton before the Acton Bridge Green was built with the help of Lottery cash three years ago.

He was followed to the club by a host of other successful Bolton members. Tommy Armstrong, a former England international, Alan Leech and John Gillespie all made the move. They were all part of the Middleton Cup winning side.

Alan explained: "For me, it was much easier to join Acton Bridge than to travel to Bolton all the time. Other bowlers have come here because it is an artificial green and better for training.

"We have not become successful bowlers since switching to Acton Bridge. It is just more convenient for many of the bowlers to play here."

The greens in Lancashire are not of the same quality as the greens in the south, making it harder for bowlers to put in any worthwhile training.

Which is why more and more prominent bowlers are making the switch to Acton Bridge. Current international David Holt will join the club from next season.

Alan admits, though, that flat green bowling will never compete locally with the crown green discipline.

He concluded: "We have to travel long distances for competitions, because most of the big events take place down south. This will always be crown green bowling territory."

Nevertheless, Northwich is lucky to be home to a growing section of flat green bowling stars who are managing to beat their southern counter-parts at their own game.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.